Afterwards, ask the students to write a list of at least five events they can remember from the story. Play the short story, making sure no one writes anything yet. Master Memory: Tell the students that they are going to write down the main events of the story after listening to it.You can go through the answers as a group, listening to the story again and pausing at each blank. If the students want to, let them listen to the short story again. Then while the story is playing, have students fill in the blanks as they’re listening. Pass out this worksheet to your students, and give them a few minutes to read it before you begin listening. If the class is lower level, you can provide a word bank at the top of the sheet. Fill in the Blanks: Using an audio short story that comes with a transcript, remove approximately one word from every other sentence, leaving blanks in their place.There are countless activities that can accompany an audio short story, to be completed individually, in small groups or as a whole class. They can be used as a starter to lead-in to the topic of the lesson, or at the end as a wind-down or reward.ĮSL Listening Activities Using Audio Short Stories.There are tons of free audio short stories online to choose from.The grammar, vocabulary or content of the story can be gleaned and a lesson subsequently created around it.Most audio short stories are under fifteen minutes long and therefore can easily be incorporated into any lesson plan.There are stories to be found that are appropriate for all learners.They provide a natural voice, complete with natural intonation and expression.While audio short stories are an awesome way for students to practice listening at home, they’re also the perfect tool for any ESL classroom. Why Audio Short Stories Are Perfect for the ESL Classroom So why shouldn’t they listen to short stories too? By using audio short stories in class, you’ll show your students that they’re relevant and engaging, and can have your students listening away in no time. Students play apps, read magazines, listen to songs, go on social networking sites and use interactive websites, like FluentU, to practice English in their spare time. The subject matter of an audio short story can be tailored to suit the interests of your students, and can be used to promote and spark discussion of a particular topic. Unlike movies and TV, audio short stories don’t give students the luxury of being able to infer meaning from visual action, gestures or lip movements. And unlike listening dialogues, audio short stories have a proper plot, providing invaluable practice in understanding a situation and events, all based solely on aural comprehension. If they want to know whether Manny gets back from the moon or if Jane and Larry will get together again after their disastrous first date, then they’ll have to concentrate! So choose something relevant and fun, and even those adolescent learners will be begging to hear how the story turns out. In using short stories, students will gain much needed exposure to English conversation, boosting their confidence when it comes to putting language knowledge into practice.Ī gripping topic or juicy storyline will ensure students’ investment in a listening exercise. (Download) Why Use Short Stories for ESL Audio? This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. They’re versatile, accessible and-you guessed it-short: all factors that make them extremely useful in the world of ESL. The key is to spark your students’ interest with something more exciting than those dull-as-dish-water dialogues.Ī fantastic way to do this is with audio short stories. I know it. You know it. Your students know it.īut how can you make listening practice engaging? Febru5 Wonderful Websites for Engaging ESL Audio Short Stories
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